


Watercolors and stick figures

by tigriswolf



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Dysfunctional Family, Family, Gen, Growing Up, Pre-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-24
Updated: 2014-04-24
Packaged: 2018-01-20 15:52:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 425
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1516313
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tigriswolf/pseuds/tigriswolf
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sammy brought home an art project once. It was a monstrosity of glue and purple paper and yellow paint. It was wrinkled and funny-looking, and Daddy wasn’t there to tell him it was beautiful. </p><p>Dean was, though.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Watercolors and stick figures

**Author's Note:**

> Title: Watercolors and stick figures  
> Disclaimer: Not my characters. Poem excerpt from a poem my mom wrote years ago.  
> Warnings: spoilers for pilot; heartbreak of the familial kind  
> Pairings: none  
> Rating: PG  
> Wordcount: 424  
> Point of view: third  
> Note: written in 2006; I’ve made a few grammar edits.

_Watercolors and stick figures_  
_Faded masterpieces created by hands_  
_That were small a long time ago_

 

Sammy brought home an art project once. It was a monstrosity of glue and purple paper and yellow paint. It was wrinkled and funny-looking, and Daddy wasn’t there to tell him it was beautiful. 

Dean was, though.

.

Sammy brought home a painting once. Sticky finger paints (green and blue) and thick paper (red) and he couldn’t wait to show Daddy his landscape, because Mrs. Munroe said it was so good and how much Daddy would like it. 

Daddy patted his head as he went out the door and didn’t glance at the painting. 

Dean did, though.

.

Sam brought home a recommendation for honors courses once. He placed the note on the counter, next to Dad’s beer. He went to his room, pulled out _The Once and Future King_ , and pretended to be anywhere else. 

Dean slipped into the apartment an hour later and read the letter.

Dad never saw it and they moved the next week, anyway.

.

Sam brought home an award for creative writing once. The story was about a family that moved around because the dad was never happy and how they slowly fell apart. 

Mr. Williams praised Sam’s intricate details and understanding of fraying family relations; he had no idea Sam wrote from personal experience because Sam didn’t share anymore. 

Dean read the story. Sam pretended to not notice when Dean’s voice broke as he said, “Good job, Sammy.”

Dad didn’t notice the award on the fridge or the way Dean almost glared at him.

.

Sam brought home an acceptance letter from Stanford once. 

Dad noticed that one.

Dad told him he couldn’t go. Dean said he could.

Dean said he had to. Dad said it wasn’t Dean’s call.

Dean said it wasn’t his, either, it was Sam’s.

“And Sam made the choice a long time ago, Dad,” Dean finished quietly, staring straight into his father with his mother’s eyes. “He isn’t like us. This isn’t his crusade. Let him go.”

Sam sat in his room with his back against the door, music blaring, the letter clenched in his fists.

Dad said “If you leave, don’t come back.”

Sam said, “Fine.”

Dean didn’t say, “You don’t have to leave me, too,” but he did say, “Goodbye.”

.

Sammy brought home an art project once. 

Three years and two months after Sam leaves for his dreams, Dean’s alone in another hotel room and he pulls it out, smoothes it down, and wonders where the hell those days went.


End file.
